The authors define resource mobilization theory as “the study of aggregation of resources” in the context of money and labor (Iannaccone, Olson, & Stark 1995, p. 706). From a theoretical standpoint, religious resources consist of ‘inputs’ such as time and money, which lead to the ‘output’ of church growth and new members joining. In economic terms, resources are combined under two factions of labor and capital, which is equivalent to time and money. Time and labor are combined with purchased inputs such as goods and services to produce valued commodities. The authors argue that under resource mobilization theory, the higher the inputs of time and money, the greater the outputs that facilitate growth and limit decline (Iannaccone et al. 1995).
Rather than interacting with the broader social communities, denominations focus on narrowing resource-mobilizing strategies to appeal to and meet the needs of a narrow circle of followers that resource-providing constituents and benefit-receiving beneficiaries. Resource mobilization theory is not unlike market economics, or more accurately, a production process with inputs and outputs. Resource mobilization almost metaphorically symbolizes social movement activity.
A religious organization cannot exist or grow without obtaining resources from the environment. It costs time and money to construct physical structures, lead outreach, participate in evangelism and community service, educate, and any mother activities. Growth will only occur in instances of surplus resources. Therefore, the authors apply the theory to church growth by proposing that the resources available to a religious organization originate with its members. This is measured by simply accounting for the time and money that members of the congregation devote to religious activity, as well as external support such as organizations, investments, and government support. The market-oriented approach has become a new paradigm in the context of religion and its members rather than traditional secularization. The authors apply a market model to religious growth but offer insight on the topic, indicating that the church should have other measurable units besides membership, as those can be misleading. The best measure and ‘resource’ would be dollar contributions, as this more accurately evaluates market power and involvement from the attending population in the congregation. The authors employed the ‘Cobb-Douglas’ function from economics to measure, dividing the three variables by total membership, equations can be obtained that “describe growth rates as functions of time and money per capita” (Iannaccone et al. 1995, p.712). The number of members then defines growth at a later/current period divided by the number in an earlier period.
By collecting and testing data, the authors found that religious resources result in increased membership growth equitably to church growth using the standard production models. Typically denominations with high levels of attendance, participation, and contributions, such as Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, due to their sectarian nature, see the highest rates of growth. Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for labor intensity through volunteering and going into communities to spread the word of their church, while Mormonism is highly financially focused. As these are both variables in the resource mobilization theory formula, with inputs being time and money, the expected output or ‘growth’ for these denominations is expected to be high. This is indeed confirmed by reality, proving the correlation proposed by the theory is inherently correct when applied to church growth. Contributions and attendance are significant predictors of growth, with higher per capita contributions and higher attendance as part of total membership leading to improved membership growth in the span of several years. However, the authors note that not only resources may contribute to growth, with non-resource variables such as community demographics, population transiency, and the make-up of the church’s congregation can play a role (Iannaccone et al. 1995).
A wide range of data was used to create a comprehensive assessment of the resource mobilization theory in relation to church growth. First, the authors considered poll data, but that was not useful because while it does provide attendance, it does not allow measuring how much input was given by members, as some may actively participate in the church, while others only show up for worship services providing the church with no labor. Next, the General Social Survey data was used, which was enough to demonstrate the distribution of surplus labor across denominations. In addition, a GSS question introduced that asked about financial contributions became useful in this study as a measurement of the ‘money’ resource, as members indicated the number of dollars contributed across denominations. Another data source applied was expert judgment, as sixteen scholars rated denominations based on demands on members’ resources, with a general agreement being high, suggesting the high reliability of this data source.
Some additional data included key annual reports of denominational membership from the Yearbook of the American and Canadian Churches, offering vital demographic data. The authors then considered the use of congregational data, noting two sets for analysis. The first set included congregational membership and member attributes, which were utilized as statistical predictors. The second set is from a large study utilizing a 43-item questionnaire at UCC and collected in the Church Membership Inventory. This data was used to compute aggregate values, which, in combination with the UCC yearbook, offered membership and financial statistics. Some of the data were useful, others were noisy, but notably still helpful because even inaccurate data can be vital on such a scale to remain confident in its purposefulness. However, some other data was discarded, such as demographic characteristics and diversity among church attendees (Iannaccone et al. 1995).
References
Iannaccone, Laurence R., Daniel V.A. Olson, and Rodney Stark. 1995. “Religious Resources and Church Growth.” Social Forces. 74 (2): 705-726.